A Trip to Tucson
by iluvtofu
Summary: Betty considers moving to Tucson to be with Henry but does it work out in the end? Can Daniel change her mind?
1. Chapter 1

**A Trip to Tucson**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ugly Betty.

**Rating: **PG-13

**Pairing:** Daniel/Betty

**Summary: **Betty moved to Tucson to be with Henry but does it work out in the end? Could Daniel change her mind?

**Author's Note: **I'm a huge Daniel/Betty shipper and this is my first fanfic ever. Just want to keep the Detty love alivewith my little contribution. Reviews would be much appreciated.

Chapter One

Daniel was getting restless. It had been almost five hours since he boarded the plane to Tucson and there were still two more hours left on this flight. He kept looking out the window hoping to see sand dunes rather than clouds. He was so preoccupied with thoughts of Betty that he barely noticed the blond, leggy flight attendant who kept accidentally brushing up against him from one direction or another.

It was just yesterday when he received a call at the office from a sobbing Betty informing him that she just had a huge fight with Henry and was currently residing at a roadside motel somewhere in Tucson. Without even asking another question, Daniel promptly told Betty that he would be on the first flight out to Tucson the next morning. He kept his promise. He got off the phone with Betty and immediately the flight. It was a Friday and there weren't any important meetings that he couldn't reschedule. He was swirling his drink around as his thoughts drifted to the day when Betty informed him of her plans.

_Flashback_

It started out as an ordinary Monday for Daniel. As per usual, Betty walked into his office with coffee and bagel in hand. He was busy looking through some articles to be included with the next issue. He looked up quickly and thanked Betty. After a few moments, he noticed that Betty still hadn't left. Next thing he knew, she handed him a white envelope.

He stared at it for a good ten seconds, realizing what it could be but hoping that he wasn't right. He ripped it open, quickly ran through the short letter and looked up at Betty in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" he asked, steel blue eyes staring at Betty making her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes, Daniel. I know, it's sort of sudden but I've been thinking about it for a while." She played with the buttons on her cardigan, obviously feeling nervous.

"But you never discussed it with me."

"Daniel, I'm giving you two weeks notice. I'm sure you'll find someone decent to fill my position."

"That's not what I meant, Betty. Are you not happy with the job?"

"No, of course not. I love it here. I mean, it didn't start out that way but this place has grown on me. Daniel…Henry called from Tucson this weekend and he asked if I would consider moving there. He wants to see if it can work for us in Tucson."

"What? And leave your family and friends and…me?" Daniel's eyes were full of hurt as he said the word "me". He felt their friendship was special enough that she would have discussed with him at length before making such a decision.

"I know what you're saying but I talked to my family already. They're upset to say the least but they also know how stubborn I can be. Daniel, I just want to give it a try for a couple of months. I'm not saying I want to move there permanently. It'll be like a trial run to see if it could work."

"A trial run? But you don't have to quit your job and give up your life here to do that, do you? I mean, you can just take two weeks off and go there for a vacation. That should be enough time for you to figure out if it could work." Daniel also knew how strong-headed Betty was and tried to sound supportive. In actual fact, he would love to just shake some sense into her and say that it won't work. That she would miss her family, Queens and _him_ too much.

"Two weeks isn't going to be enough!" Betty argued and Daniel was prepared for it.

"Okay, how about a one-month leave. You have been rather miserable since Henry left. Besides, you haven't taken a vacation since last summer so you're due for a break. But you must come back after one month to re-evaluate things. I need you here Betty and your family also deserves some consideration," Daniel offered.

"Really? You mean, I could come back if…if it doesn't work out. Not that I expect it not to, you know." Daniel could sense that she was starting to waiver about the whole idea but he was willing to play along. This was the third time since she started working at Mode that he had let her go. He wasn't so sure about saying yes this time around. He hoped he was right because he would be devastated if Betty were to leave him for real.

It had been almost three weeks since she left. Daniel had not heard from her till that phone call yesterday morning. By the end of week two, Daniel was starting to fear that things were going smoothly and that she would decide to move there permanently. Receiving Betty's call gave Daniel a sense of relief but it also worried him that she was unhappy and he couldn't be there to comfort her immediately. He was tossing and turning in bed all night wonder what went wrong and whether he could convince her to come back to New York.

An announcement from the captain interrupted his thoughts. He looked out the window and saw the deserts. They were about ten minutes away from landing. Daniel felt his heart beating faster. It would be difficult for him to contain his emotions when he sees Betty for the first time in weeks. This was the longest he had gone without seeing Betty. He was quite sure by now that life would be torture without Betty by his side. He simply had to bring her back to New York and make her stay there.


	2. Chapter 2

**A Trip to Tucson**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ugly Betty.

**Rating: **T

**Pairing:** Daniel/Betty

**Summary: **Betty considers moving to Tucson to be with Henry but does it work out in the end? Can Daniel change her mind?

**Author's Note: **Thanks to all those who reviewed. You have no idea how encouraging it is to see your kind words. In this chapter, you may notice that the Dettyness is very subtle but I'm hoping to build it up slowly. Again, feel free to comment.

Chapter Two

It was June in Tucson and the weather was already getting unbearably hot. Betty wasn't sure if it was the heat or nerves but she was sweating profusely and she felt her heart beating rapidly. After spending the night alone at the motel, she was looking forward to some company. She wasn't sure why she thought to call Daniel first. She was talking to her family every other day but never let on that anything was wrong. She knew that they would just be worried. She could have called Christina but she already had enough problems of her own. When she picked up the phone the day before, she wasn't sure what she should tell Daniel. She ended up not having to say much since she started crying almost immediately. She managed to blurt out the words Henry and "fight" and before she could continue, Daniel was already telling her that he would be in Tucson the very next day. Daniel always went out of his way to help her. It made her feel a little guilty about not having been forthcoming about her relationship with Henry. They hadn't really discussed Henry much since that incident at Wicked. She was starting to think that Daniel was right about this whole thing. She was stupid for thinking it could work out with Henry in the end.

Betty almost missed Daniel as he walked through the automatic doors. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. She was used to seeing him a shirt and tie. For some reason, Betty thought he looked particularly handsome. Perhaps she just missed him. She missed him more than expected.

Daniel was not able to spot Betty immediately either. She still wore her glasses but her hair was pulled up. She had on a sleeveless dress. He had never seen her in real summer attire. She preferred to cover up as much of herself as possible. He thought she looked lovely, sexy even. He waved at her and after a bit of hesitation, she waved back. He was tempted to run straight towards her but managed to pace himself.

"Hey, how's it going?" He pulled her into a tight embrace and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head.

"Thanks Daniel. You didn't have to come all the way here," she said as she pulled away from him.

"Well, you've been butting into my life for long enough. I figured it's my turn." He noticed that her eyes looked red and puffy. She looked like she was about to cry and he wrapped his arms around her again.

"I'm sorry Daniel." She quickly composed herself. "Let's go get the car. I'm sure you're dying to see Tucson." Daniel thought he couldn't care less where he was going as long as Betty was around.

The ride to the motel was full of chatter. Mostly Daniel giving Betty updates on all things Mode. As she listened to Daniel, she realized how much she missed home and work.

"Well, here we are." They pulled up to a non-descript white building. It didn't look too inviting. "It's certainly not the Ritz."

Betty unlocked the door to her room. It was dark and the wallpaper was peeling off. There was a musty smell and the air-conditioning didn't seem to be working properly.

"Can I just quickly use the bathroom? I hate using the washroom on the plane," Daniel explained.

"Sure, but you may hate this bathroom even more though," Betty said as she pointed toward the door to the bathroom.

When Daniel walked out of the bathroom, he saw Betty sitting on the bed looking a little dazed. "Betty? Do you want to talk about what happened?" She nodded as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"It's just been all about Charlie and the baby since we arrived. I can understand that. I know there's a lot involved when the baby comes. I've seen it with Justin. It's just that I feel like the third wheel. What's worse is that Charlie wants nothing to do with me. I guess I can sort of see where she's coming from. I feel like I'm not wanted here. And Henry's just been so stressed out over being a new father and dealing with Charlie. We never really fought that much before. I'm starting to think this was a mistake…coming here." She blurted it all out with hardly a pause. It had obviously been bottled up for the past few weeks. "You're the first person I've really talked to about this."

Daniel felt honoured that she chose to confide in him but he was also saddened by her situation. He gently wrapped his arm around her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. The tears started flowing and she couldn't stop. Daniel just held her for a while in silence. He wondered what he should say to comfort her. She probably wanted to hear that it would be fine when things settle down. But what he really wanted to say was how much he missed her and how he wanted her to just come home to New York. He thought about his father then, and how he missed to chance to tell Bradford how he really felt.

"Betty, I know you may not like what I'm about to say but I must tell you how I feel about this. Please just come back to New York. Your family needs you. I need you." He held her closer.

Betty didn't realize the meaning behind Daniel's words. She was too wrapped up in her issues with Henry. After a while, she looked up and said, "I don't' know, Daniel. I fought so hard to make it work with Henry. I'm not sure I want to give it up now." Daniel sighed. He knew it would be tough to convince her.

"I know it's too much to think about right now. I have a suggestion though. This place is kind of creeping me out. Do you think we can find a decent place for the next couple of nights? There must be some four-star property somewhere in this town."

"I guess it is kind of depressing. I can't afford a more expensive place though."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I'm rich, remember?"

"Oh right, I guess there are perks that come with being Daniel Meade's friend." They both chuckled and that was the first time since Daniel arrived that he had seen her smile.

Daniel made some calls to see if he could find a decent hotel in the area. His travel agent recommended the only four-star resort and spa available in town. The only problem was they only had one room left in the entire property. Apparently, there was a conference being held all weekend. There weren't any other hotels of comparable standards around the area and Daniel being a Meade would never stand for anything less than four-star.

"Betty, there aren't that many decent places around but my travel agent found this resort and spa. It sounds nice. The only problem is they have just one room left but it's a suite and there's one king bed and a pull-out sofa." Daniel was wondering if she would feel funny about it. They were very close friends and he had even slept on her bed before but this was a sensitive time and they both felt so lonely.

"No problem, Daniel. You're the boss. You can take the sofa." She managed a mischievous grin but felt a little strange about sharing a room with Daniel. _Not that anything would happen, right? It's Daniel. I've spent all night in the office with him before. This won't be any different. Besides, he doesn't think of me that way_.


	3. Chapter 3

A Trip to Tucson

**A Trip to Tucson**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ugly Betty. 

**Rating: **T

**Pairing:** Daniel/Betty

**Summary: **Betty considers moving to Tucson to be with Henry but does it work out in the end? Can Daniel change her mind?

**Author's Note: **Your reviews bring a huge smile to my face. Thanks for all your kind words. This chapter has a lot of dialogue. I hope I didn't get too carried away.

Chapter Three

The resort was only a short drive from the motel. It was situated in a mountainous area and surrounded by a golf course. The sun was starting to set by the time they arrived and there were lit torches on the terraces and gardens. When Daniel opened the door to their suite, Betty gasped. The balcony overlooked the mountains. 

"This is so roman…pretty." Betty caught herself. Henry had left her mind since they drove away from the motel but she couldn't help but think of him in this romantic setting. She turned around and saw Daniel gazing at her. It made her blush. Daniel quickly averted his gaze and busied himself with the luggage. 

"Hey, it's almost dinner time. Do you want to check out the restaurant here or order room service?" Daniel suggested.

"I'm fine with either Daniel. You make the decision." She left Daniel to deal with the dinner plans while she walked out to the balcony to take in the view. The setting sun cast an orange-red glow upon the mountains. It was stunning.

"It's quite breathtaking, isn't it?" Daniel said as he stepped onto the balcony to join her. 

"I didn't expect Tucson to be so beautiful. Henry always told me that it was just deserts."

"Do you miss New York?"

"Yes, of course. I miss my family and papi's cooking and Mode, believe it or not." Daniel was disappointed that she didn't mention him specifically. 

"Betty, I booked a ticket for a flight back to New York on Sunday for you. Same flight as mine."

"What? But I still have a week left."

"But look at how miserable you are. Besides, Henry doesn't sound like he has time for you right now. Betty, you can always sort things out with him when things have settled down." Daniel also wanted to tell her that he couldn't bear another week of looking up and seeing an empty chair at her desk. 

"I guess you're right." She wasn't in the mood to argue with him and part of her wanted to go home already, too. Just then, there was a knock on the door. 

"I suppose that's our dinner." Daniel went to open the door. In came a waiter with a cart full of food and a vase of roses. 

"Should I set this up on the table outside, sir?" 

"Please do." The waiter brought the cart out onto the balcony and started setting up the table. He lit a few candles and laid down the silverware and the food. There was a bottle of champagne kept cold in an ice bucket. 

"Enjoy your meal." The waiter hurried out of the room leaving Betty and Daniel alone once again. Daniel offered a glass of champagne to Betty.

"Thanks, Daniel. I was actually just expecting something casual like burgers and fries."

"Betty, this is a special occasion because we haven't had dinner together in a long time. Remember? We used to go out after a long day at the office or we would take a dinner break at a restaurant nearby?" 

"I'm sorry, Daniel. I guess I've been busy with other things."

"You mean Henry?" Daniel couldn't disguise the bitterness in his voice. "It's okay, let's just start eating. The soup is getting cold." 

They settled down to their meal. There was an awkward silence at first. Daniel's mind was filled with questions and things he wanted to say to Betty but he was afraid it would all come out the wrong way. Finally, he struck up the courage and asked, "So, have you guys talked about the future?"

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean, you're not going to move all the way across the continent for someone if there isn't going to be some kind of serious commitment." 

"Well if marriage is what you're talking about then I guess the answer is yes but only casually. He's been so preoccupied with his family that it's been difficult to have a real discussion about anything." 

"Betty, do you think that Henry is…the one?" 

She took a long sip of the champagne before answering. "Some days I do and other times I'm not so sure. He's really sweet and gentle and he loves me."

"So, what's missing?"

"Can't really put my finger on it. Sometimes, I just find he lacks spontaneity and a sense of adventure. He has this need to plan everything." Betty was thinking about that time when she wanted to go dancing with Hilda and Gio, while Daniel pictured Henry scheduling 'sex with Betty' on his Blackberry.

He reached across the small table and placed a hand over Betty's. "Betty, you're young. You still have your whole life ahead of you. What about your career? You think you have a better chance here in Tucson? Even if Mode doesn't work out for you, there are so many other magazines under Meade Publications. As for Henry, he may seem like the right guy now but I bet there are a lot of other great guys out there in New York City waiting to have a chance with you."

She withdrew her hand and said, "Oh please Daniel, it's so much easier for you. Half the women in New York have a crush on you. You have models throwing themselves at you everyday. I don't get to meet guys like Henry everyday. I can't rely on my looks or money unfortunately." She didn't mean to sound so harsh but it was how she felt. Daniel took a big gulp of his champagne and remained silent for a moment. He didn't realize that she still had those same insecurities from when she first started at Mode. 

"Betty, you have lot to offer. You just have to acknowledge it. Stop letting all that superficial stuff around you from getting in the way. Don't settle for a relationship that's just good enough. You deserve more than that." She merely stared at the empty glass in front of her. Daniel's pep talk wasn't working. Having lived such a privileged life, he couldn't possibly understand her situation.

"I'm getting tired. I should probably go to sleep. Sorry Daniel, can't keep you company for the rest of the evening." She stood up but fell right back onto her chair. She put a hand to her forehead. "Must be the champagne. Don't usually drink this much." 

Daniel walked around to help her. She was stumbling a bit. When they were inside, he picked her up in a one fell swoop. Betty wasn't sure what to make of the gesture except that he probably thought it was easier than having to drag her across the room. He carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. Her glasses were askew but she noticed that Daniel was gazing at her. He removed her glasses and knelt beside her. 

"Betty, you may think I have it easy when it comes to women. But the person I truly care for will probably never care for me the same way." His eyes were looking at her intently.

"You're _still_ not over Sophia?" She asked in disbelief. Daniel sighed. _She will never get it_. 

"You should probably get to sleep." He leaned over and gave her quick kiss on the lips. Betty didn't know how to react. She was relieved when he got up and headed back into the living room. The warm tingling sensation on her lips remained until she fell asleep a little while later.

Daniel switched the TV on and tried to distract himself from thinking about what could have happened. He was thinking he could have done a lot more. He was Daniel Meade after all and never really played by the rules. Betty was different though. He had a lot more respect for Betty than most other women. In any case, he was sure that Betty did not feel the same way about him. He grabbed the bottle of unfinished champagne and settled on the couch. 

Betty woke up in the middle of the night with a pounding headache. She had a dream about Henry and Daniel. In the dream, she was standing between the two men. Henry was on one side, standing at the door to a house. On the other side was Daniel sitting in a car. They were both waving at her, urging her to go to them. She was deciding whom to go to when she woke up. 

She looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was only three o'clock in the morning and no noise could be heard outside. She reached into her bag for some painkillers. Then, she tiptoed out into the living room to check on Daniel. He seemed upset when he left her in the room and she was worried. She saw that the TV was on and Daniel was lying on the couch hugging the empty champagne bottle. She turned the TV off and walked quietly towards the couch. He was frowning a bit and his head was turning slightly. She reached down to feel his forehead. He started mumbling. It startled Betty and she retracted her hand. 

"Betty, please come back. I need…" Then, he stopped. She sat beside him and studied his face. He looked like a vulnerable little boy. She thought about how sad he looked when they were talking during dinner. She reached out instinctively and cradled his face. To her surprise, he reached up, grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. For a moment, she thought he had woken up but he remained still after that. She attempted to release her hand with a gentle pull but his grip was firm. Not wanting to wake him up, she carefully moved next to him on the couch and cuddled until she dozed off again. 

A/N: I know, so much tension and yet nothing happened. I just didn't think that Betty would be ready for Daniel to jump on her. Anyhow, please let me know what you think. Your reviews keep me going. 


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